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Thursday, June 22, 2017

While it was hot in the valley, lots of snow still laid on the ground up in the mountains. It was the last day of the skiing season. Why did we decide to go up there? My husband could not think of another place that our guests have not seen yet. So, we got all the winter gear we needed and drove to the Grouse mountain in search of great views.

We could get up earlier and make it in time for a breakfast with the grizzly bears, but felt sorry for the kids. So we deliberately missed that, but still saw the bears though. The bears are always there. Then we went up to the wind mill. The destination is even higher than the first gondola takes you to. Now it is not a gondola, but just a sit for four people. The views is what everybody goes up there for. However, the view from the mill (you can go up the mill itself) is even more amazing!

We met a grouse bird too! Now we know that that was a good reason to give its name to the mountain. The bird was vicious! )) It wanted to stay on the pass and attacked everybody who was walking by. We had to run from it. Other naive people in shorts got their legs pecked!

It was an awesome destination! If you are ever in Vancouver and trying to decide where to go and what to see, the Grouse mountain is a great choice all year around if you are a landscape hunter.

Sunday, June 18, 2017

In Arizona, the Apaches had made several raids on one particular settlement. After these raids, the military and some volunteers banded together and followed the tracks of the stolen cattle back to where the Apaches lived. At dawn, they attacked. The Apaches were completely surprised and outnumbered in the attack. About two-thirds of the Apache warriors were killed by the first volley of shots. The rest of the Apache warriors retreated. As they were almost completely surrounded, the only place for them to go was to the edge of a cliff. Rather than die at the hands of a white man, these last warriors chose death by leaping over the cliff's edge. The apache women of those who had died gathered at the base of the cliff, and for a moon they wept for their dead. They mourned, not only because their warriors had all died, but also because the fighting spirit of the Apaches had died with them. Their sadness was so great that the Great Spirit encased the tears of the Apache women into black stones we now call apache tears.

Saturday, June 17, 2017

Cubic zirconia (CZ) is the synthesized material is hard, optically flawless and usually colorless, but may be made in a variety of different colors. Its commercial production began in the USSR in 1976. In 1977 cubic zirconia begun to be mass-produced in the jewelry marketplace. By 1980 annual global production had reached 50 million carats (10 tonnes). [source]

Friday, June 16, 2017

Moissanite. Without special testing equipment, distinguishing it from a natural diamond is very difficult. Moissanite, in its natural form, is very rare. It has only been discovered in a small variety of places from upper mantle rock to meteorites. Moissanite was introduced to the jewelry market in 1998. It is regarded as a diamond alternative with some optical properties exceeding those of diamond. Its lower price and less exploitative mining practices necessary to obtain it make it a popular alternative to diamonds.

Wednesday, June 14, 2017

A Christian pastor has discovered one of the world's largest uncut diamonds in Sierra Leone's Kono district. The diamond, weighing 709 carats, is now locked up in Sierra Leone's central bank in Freetown. It is one of the 20 largest diamonds ever found. Freelance, or artisanal, miners are common in Sierra Leone's diamond-rich areas, reports the BBC's Umaru Fofana.

Tuesday, June 13, 2017

An estimated US$13 billion worth of rough diamonds are produced per year, of which approximately US$8.4 billion are from Africa (approximately 65%).

An internally flawless 100 carat diamond described as 'perfect' by experts is expected to sell for a staggering £16 million. The Type IIa diamond, which is in a classic emerald cut and is 'whiter than white', was mined by De Beers in South Africa. Its current owner spent more than a year studying, cutting and polishing the rough diamond to deliver the spectacular stone. [source]

Monday, June 12, 2017

The largest rough gem-quality diamond ever found at 3106.75 carats (621.35 g). It was cut into 105 diamonds including the Cullinan I or the Great Star of Africa, 530.2 carats (106.04 g), and the Cullinan II or the Lesser Star of Africa, 317.4 carats (63.48 g), both of which are now part of the British Crown Jewels.

A basket of flowing flowers and leaves with all of the basket, leaves and branches being comprised of diamonds. The petals of each flower are various colored sapphires with a diamond set in the center. On each side of the cascading floral design the bottom section moves so when worn the diamonds and sapphires would reflect even more color and brilliance. It is comprised of 4.12 Ct.T.W. of diamonds and 21.08 Ct.T.W. of colored sapphires. It measures 2 3/4 inches tall by 2 1/4 inches wide. The diamonds are F to G color with excellent clarity.

Wednesday, June 7, 2017

The senators and equites of Ancient Rome wore golden rings as did the the legionary tribunes. The plebeians wore iron rings unless when they were presented with a golden one for their bravery in war or as a reward for special services.

This is an ancient Roman iron signet ring set with its original sard intaglio, dating to the 1st century A.D. The intaglio is finely cut with a hand, grasping two wheat stalks and a poppy. This is a reference to the goddess of the harvest Demeter and Persephone goddess of the Underworld. The intaglio has chip to the lower edge, it is firmly set in the ring. This has been stabilized and conserved to a museum display standard, thus is not really suited for wear due the age of the ancient iron.

Monday, June 5, 2017

There is a special vocabulary used to describe the length of pearl necklaces. While most other necklaces are simply referred to by their physical measurement, pearl necklaces are named by how low they hang when worn around the neck.

A collar, measuring 10 to 13 inches or 25 to 33 cm in length, sits directly against the throat and does not hang down the neck at all; collars are often made up of multiple strands of pearls.

Pearl chokers, measuring 14 to 16 inches or 35 to 41 cm in length, nestle just at the base of the neck.

A strand called a princess length, measuring 17 to 19 inches or 43 to 48 cm in length, comes down to or just below the collarbone.

A matinee length, measuring 20 to 24 inches or 50 to 60 cm in length, falls just above the breasts.

An opera length, measuring 28 to 35 inches or 70 to 90 cm in length, will be long enough to reach the breastbone or sternum of the wearer;

and longer still, a pearl rope, measuring more than 45 inches or 115 cm in length, is any length that falls down farther than an opera.

Sunday, June 4, 2017

Biologically speaking, under the right set of circumstances, almost any shelled mollusk can produce some kind of pearl, however, most of these molluskan pearls have no luster or iridescence. The great majority of mollusk species produce pearls which are not attractive, and are sometimes not even very durable, such that they usually have no value at all, except perhaps to a scientist or collector, or as a curiosity.